I originally wrote about this in 2017, but I thought it was time to revisit the topic of faster knitting. A lot of people comment that I must knit very quickly in order to be able to churn out the projects that I do. Having seen other, very accomplished knitters in action I have to say that I’m pretty slow in comparison.

What I do however, is short bursts of very focused knitting where I can power through quite a lot in a short space of time. The other thing that I do is to take my knitting everywhere - and I mean everywhere - so that if I find myself with an unexpected wait somewhere I can whip the needles out and get a few rounds in. It’s amazing how much those little moments accumulate throughout the day.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love a good meditative knit sometimes and not every project knits to be rushed off the needles. But as deadlines loom or a loved ones birthday approaches there are always those times where a bit of power knitting is called for. If you’ve ever wondered how to knit faster I hope that these few simple tips will help.

Top tips for faster knitting:

1. Use super slick and shiny needles: As slick as you can get away with without your stitches flying off the needles. I like Addi Turbos in particular for lots of stocking stitch. The points aren't the sharpest but they really are super speedy.

2. Front load your stitches: Scoot as many stitches as you can to the tip of your left hand needle. That way you don't have to pull the next stitch to the top of the needle - it will already be there.

3. Knit at the tips: Knit each stitch right at the tip of the left hand needle - but be sure to wrap the yarn fully around the wider part of the right hand needle as this is what determines the tightness of each stitch.

4. Set your timer for 10 minutes. Eyes down and why not see how much you can knit when you really put your mind to it.